Mayo Clinic Fires 700 Workers Who Failed to Meet COVID Vaccine Mandate
Kuwait's emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah died today at Saint Mary's Hospital part of the Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minnesota on September 29,2020. - Kuwait's emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, the architect of the nation's modern foreign policy and mediator in some of the worst crises to grip the Gulf, died on Tuesday at the age of 91. The government quickly named his half-brother, 83-year-old Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, as his successor. KEREM YUCEL/AFP via Getty Images

The nonprofit medical center, Mayo Clinic, has fired around 700 workers after failing to comply with its COVID vaccine mandate.

According to NBC News, employees at the Mayo Clinic had been given until Monday to get their COVID vaccine first dose or obtain a medical or religious exemption to the rule.

Workers were also expected not to delay receiving a second dose if they had already gotten their first dose. In a statement on Wednesday, the Mayo Clinic said that hundreds of employees had failed to meet those requirements and were let go.

The nonprofit health organization noted that almost 99 percent of employees across all Mayo Clinic locations complied with their COVID vaccine mandate by the January 3 deadline, adding that around one percent of its workforce or about 700 people would be released from employment.

The clinic said they must stand firmly behind the evidence supporting the efficacy and safety of COVID vaccines to help protect the health and safety of their patients and those in their communities.

It further noted that individuals who were let go can get vaccinated at a later date and apply for future job openings, Fox 9 News reported.

Mayo Clinic COVID Vaccine Mandate

The Minneapolis-based medical center reported in December that 99.8 percent of its roughly 27,000 workers were either vaccinated or received vaccine-mandated exemptions, according to Star Tribune.

Vaccine mandates have been a controversial topic across the country, with many large health care employers having already created their vaccination rules before a federally mandated one was imposed.

Last November, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed legislation banning private Florida employers from mandating that all employees get vaccinated.

The measure includes fines of $50,000 for large companies that do not allow employees to seek an exemption, while smaller firms would face a $10,000 fine, Jacksonville reported.

Florida Law Clashes With Federal Rule Requiring Health Care Workers' COVID Vaccinations

The Florida state law opposes a federal rule requiring vaccinations of all health care workers at hospitals that receive Medicare and Medicaid funding.

Spokesman Kevin Punsky released a statement noting that Mayo Clinic supports a required COVID vaccine program for all staff, including its Florida campus, to advance the primary value of Mayo Clinic.

Punsky added that the needs of the patient come first. The spokesman also addressed the complication with Florida's law regarding the COVID vaccine mandate.

He noted that Florida staff who are not following the organization's COVID vaccine mandate would remain employed, awaiting the outcome of litigation related to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service requirements.

The Mayo Clinic did not note the vaccination rates at each of their respective clinics. Mayo Clinic employees who were fired were at Mayo's Arizona and Minnesota locations.

Meanwhile, Reuters reported that the U.S. Supreme Court is preparing to decide on President Joe Biden's COVID vaccine mandates for large businesses and health care workers.

There will be an in-person argument regarding the matter on Friday. Challengers argue that Biden and his administration have overstepped their authority.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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